List of ambassadors of Switzerland to Australia explained

Post:Ambassador of Switzerland to Australia
Insignia:Coat of Arms of Switzerland (Pantone).svg
Insigniasize:120px
Incumbent:Caroline Bichet-Anthamatten
Incumbentsince:1 January 2022
Style:Her Excellency
Appointer:Swiss Federal Council
Formation:1961
Inaugural:Dr Friedrich Gygax
Website:Switzerland and Australia

The ambassador of Switzerland to Australia is an officer of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the head of the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation to the Commonwealth of Australia. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The ambassador is based with the embassy in Forrest in Canberra.

The ambassador is currently Caroline Bichet-Anthamatten. Switzerland and Australia have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1961, although consular representation has existed even before in Australia and its previous colonies: in Sydney since 1855, Melbourne since 1856, Brisbane since 1889, Adelaide since 1879 and consular agencies in Darwin (1978), Hobart (1968) and Perth (1971).

Ambassadors, 1961–present

IncumbentStart of termEnd of term
Dr Friedrich Gygax[1] 29 August 196123 March 1965
Egbert von Graffenried2 September 19652 March 1970
Dr Max König[2] 26 May 197031 December 1975
Marcel Grossenbacher10 March 197630 November 1978
Dr Henri Rossi3 March 197931 October 1984
Alfred Glesti[3] 1 March 198522 August 1988
Dr Arnold Hugentobler[4] 25 November 19885 May 1992
Peter Niederberger7 September 19922 March 1996
Dr Bernhard Marfurt1 April 19962000
André Faivet4 May 20001 September 2004
Christian Mühlethaler20042008
Dr Daniel Woker[5] 20082012
Marcel Stutz11 April 2012September 2016
Pedro Zwahlen12 October 201631 December 2021
Caroline Bichet-Anthamatten[6] 1 January 2022-

Consuls and consuls-general

Consuls in Sydney, 1855–present

IncumbentStart of termEnd of term
Louis Chapalay (honorary consul)18551865
August Parrot (honorary consul)18751880
Friedrich Plüss (honorary consul)18811884
Conrad Staehelin-Werner (honorary consul)18841890
Jakob Roth (honorary consul)18901891
Max Rutty (honorary consul)18961918
Olav Pauss (honorary consul)19181920
Eugen Bloch (honorary consul)19201931
Eugen Bloch (honorary consul-general)19311933
Hans Georg Hedinger (honorary consul-general)19331941
Hans Georg Hedinger (consul-general)19411961
Jakob Huber (consul-general)19611967
Henri Jung (consul-general)19671974
Raymond Tellenbach (consul-general)19751985
Richard Wolf (consul-general)19851988
Hans-Peter Egger (consul-general)19881992
Hans Meier (consul-general)19921997
Heinz Wey (consul-general)19972001
Albert Mehr (consul-general)20012005
Jürg Casserini (consul-general)20052009
Markus Meli (consul-general)20092013
Ernst Steinmann (consul-general)20132017
Bernadette Hunkeler Brown (consul-general)20172022
Cornelia Camenzind (consul-general)2022-

Consuls in Melbourne, 1856–present

IncumbentStart of termEnd of term
Achilles Bischoff (honorary Vice-consul)18561857
Achilles Bischoff (honorary consul)18571859
Samuel Rentsch (honorary consul)18591864
Frédéric Guillaume de Pury (honorary consul)18751890
Charles Martin (honorary consul)18911906
Gustav Stahel (honorary consul)19071921
Gustav Stahel (honorary consul-general)19211928
Paul Louis Frossard (honorary consul-general)19281931
Emile Bisang (honorary consul-general)19311932
Johannes Alexander Pietzcker (honorary consul)19321951
Paul-Emile Cattin (honorary consul)19511958
Edwin Steiner (honorary consul)19581963
Curt Mahnig (honorary consul)19641970
Urs Karli (honorary consul)19711975
Werner Zellweger (honorary consul)19751980
Werner Zellweger (consul-general)19801983
Henning Rieder (consul-general)19831986
Günter Britschgi (consul-general)19871990
Leo Renggli (consul-general)19901995
Bernard Sandoz (consul-general)1995????
Erika Esther Kimpton (honorary consul)20072016
Manuela Erb (honorary consul)[7] 2016-

Consuls in Adelaide

IncumbentStart of termEnd of term
James Page (honorary Vice-consul)30 December 187931 December 1913
Eduard Willis Van Senden (honorary Vice-consul)[8] 6 November 191431 December 1918
Paul Anton Richter (honorary consul)3 June 1969????
René Pfister (honorary consul)28 June 20002019
Patrick Wille (honorary consul)2019-

Consuls in Brisbane

IncumbentStart of termEnd of term
Jakob Leutenegger (honorary consul)5 March 18891909
George Gross (honorary consul)17 March 190930 June 1909
William Schoch (honorary consul)25 July 19101925
Henri Schaub (honorary consul)4 November 19261960
Daniel Gschwind (honorary consul)23 April 2008-

Consuls in Perth

IncumbentStart of termEnd of term
Rudolf Hermann Abplanalp (honorary consul)11 August 197130 June 1993
Prof. Ernst Jürg Weber (honorary consul)1 July 19932023

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: AUST. TO HAVE SWISS EMBASSY. . . 3 June 1961 . 13 November 2015 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
  2. News: SWISS EMBASSY IN CANBERRA. . . 22 October 1975 . 13 November 2015 . 136 . National Library of Australia.
  3. News: Obituary: Mr ALFRED R. GLESTI Swiss envoy to Australia, PNG. . The Canberra Times. 3 September 1988 . 13 November 2015 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
  4. News: Vice-Regal. . The Canberra Times. 2 December 1988 . 13 November 2015 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
  5. Web site: Executive School Team – Dr. Daniel Woker. Executive School of Management, Technology and Law. University of St. Gallen. 13 November 2015.
  6. Web site: Welcome - A greeting from the Ambassador. Embassy of Switzerland in Australia. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Swiss Confederation. 29 June 2022.
  7. Web site: consulate of Switzerland in Melbourne. www.eda.admin.ch. 2016-03-31.
  8. News: SWISS CONSUL APPOINTED. . . Perth . 25 July 1915 . 14 November 2015 . 1 Section: First Section . National Library of Australia.